JJ's Secret Admirer
by badly-knitted
Summary: JJ loves Valentine's Day but has no one to send him gifts, so Drake decides to do something nice for his friend. Written for this prompt: 'I'd love to read a fic in which JJ receives a present for Valentine's. He knows it isn't from Dee but he is a detective, so he investigates in his free time to find the present is from Drake'.


**Title:** JJ's Secret Admirer

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** JJ, Drake, Dee, Ryo, Other Characters.

 **Rating:** G

 **Setting:** Not long before Like Like Love.

 **Summary:** JJ loves Valentine's Day but has no one to send him gifts, so Drake decides to do something nice for his friend.

 **Word Count:** 1610

 **Written For:** dawn_rogue, who gave me this prompt: 'I know its saccharine but I'd love to read a fic in which JJ receives a present for Valentine's. He knows it isn't from Dee but he is a detective, so he investigates in his free time to find the present is from Drake'. Hope you like!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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JJ loves holidays; all holidays. Truth is he loves them so much that he tends to go a bit over the top, or a lot over the top, depending on your point of view, in his desire to celebrate them to the fullest extent possible. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day: all those and more put the little guy into an even more enthusiastic and energetic mood than usual, which is saying something. The energizer bunny has nothing on Jemmy J Adams.

Valentine's Day is no exception; JJ says it's his favorite of all the holidays, and he starts his preparations a couple of weeks in advance, making his desk and surroundings as festive as he can. Hearts and flowers, pinks and reds, cupids, teddy bears and fluffy bunnies abound. To most people it's an eyesore, but to JJ it's his gift to the guys of the 27th precinct, a splash of colour in their dreary working lives, much like JJ himself.

The other detectives on the squad accept it, with varying degrees of tolerance, although Dee invariably complains that just being in the same room with it hurts his eyes and gives him a headache. Dee doesn't really do tolerance when it comes to JJ.

Drake doesn't mind it, even thinks it looks quite nice, but then a lot of people would say he has bad taste in practically everything, which is worse than having no taste at all. He's used to the insults and merely shrugs them off; mostly they're meant in jest, or at least he hopes they are. He's enough of a pessimist to think they're probably right anyway; he's never understood fashion or style, they're like a foreign language to him.

Above all though, Drake just likes that it makes JJ so happy, because his work partner is the kind of person who should always be happy. He's usually so bubbly and enthusiastic and full of life that when something makes him sad it's as if Drake's world has been tilted on its axis, and he'll willingly do whatever it takes to set it straight again. JJ is Drake's friend, always there to cheer him up when he's feeling down, which is a lot of the time considering how often he gets dumped. He does his best to return the favor when Dee hurts JJ's feelings, which is also a regular occurrence, mostly because JJ resolutely refuses to accept that Dee will never be interested in him. Everyone has their blind spots; JJ's just happens to be bigger than most, like somewhere around six feet two.

JJ's Valentine's Day preparations are well underway, with so many decorations up already that he hardly has space for his paperwork. The spirit of the season is upon him, and yet Drake knows JJ isn't quite as happy as he pretends to be. Much as the boisterous little guy loves Valentine's, it's also a difficult day for him because the object of his affections doesn't return them. JJ isn't seeing anyone, he won't be getting a Valentine's card, or chocolates, or flowers. There won't be any romantic dinner for two at a restaurant, just a lonely dinner for one at his apartment. He loves romance but has nobody to shower him with gifts, and Drake thinks that's sad, especially with JJ being such a naturally affectionate person.

In a rare moment of insight, Drake wonders if maybe that's why all the decorations matter so much to JJ. If he puts up enough of them, it'll disguise the fact than unlike most of the squad, no one has sent him anything. In a flash, Drake decides that this year will be different; he'll see to it that JJ gets a Valentine's gift.

It's not much, just a little clockwork scene where, when you wind it up, a smiling sun gradually emerges from behind a gloomy looking grey cloud to the strains of 'You Are My Sunshine' and then the cloud starts smiling too. It's cute though, and the sort of quirky thing that JJ seems to love if the dancing teddies and singing hearts are anything to go by. Plus it's appropriate because JJ really does make Drake happy when he feels like there's a cloud of gloom following him around. He has the clockwork novelty gift-wrapped with a small box of heart-shaped chocolates, adds a note that just reads 'To someone special from a secret admirer,' and hides it in JJ's desk drawer the night before Valentine's, after his partner has already left, taking care not to be seen doing it.

JJ's there first the next morning, leaving a chocolate on everyone's desk, including the chief's, and a velvet-covered, heart-shaped box of truffles on Dee's desk, which Dee studiously ignores when he comes in, merely shoving it to one side, out of his way. JJ is visibly disappointed but does his best to hide the hurt, wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day as if he doesn't have a care in the world.

The others thank JJ for their candy, and Ryo distributes homemade cookies. He gets a huge bunch of red roses in an ornate vase, which seem to bewilder him and which he relegates to the top of a filing cabinet, out of the way, but a single red rose delivered later gets given pride of place. Dee gets other gifts too, as do Ted, Marty, and a couple of other guys, which isn't surprising since they both have wives.

Nothing is delivered to JJ's desk, but he smiles determinedly, right up until he opens his desk drawer to get something and finds the gift, beautifully wrapped, just sitting there.

Drake keeps his gaze on his work, watching surreptitiously through his lashes as JJ's eyes go wide and he carefully lifts the box from his drawer to set it on his blotter. Straightening up, Drake looks across at his partner. "Whatcha got there, JJ?" he asks, trying to sound mildly curious.

"I don't know, the label says it's from a secret admirer."

"Maybe it's a bomb," Dee calls across from his desk. "Someone's finally taken steps to destroy that eyesore."

"Dee, don't be mean," Ryo chides his partner, frowning at him and receiving a careless shrug in response.

"Is it from you?" JJ asks hopefully, looking at Dee with the beginnings of a smile.

"In your dreams, JJ!" Dee laughs. "Probably one of the girls at the desk."

JJ opens his gift anyway, giving a squeal of delight at the contents. He winds up the little ornament and is soon singing along. Clearly it doesn't take much to make the sun come out from behind JJ's own personal cloud of gloom, and the tinny music drives Dee nuts for the rest of the day, much to Drake's amusement.

If Drake thinks JJ will just let the mystery of his 'secret admirer' be, he's sorely mistaken. JJ's a detective after all; tracking down clues is what he does for a living. He spends the next week, in his free moments, ruling out likely gift-givers until there's only one possible candidate left.

"It was you, wasn't it, Drake?"

"What?"

Drake looks up from the report he's checking, confused; for several moments he can't figure out what JJ's talking about.

"My little clockwork sunshine, you were the one who put it in my desk drawer, weren't you?"

He considers denying it, but why bother? It did what he hoped it would, made JJ really happy on Valentine's Day, so what does it matter if he knows the truth now? "Yeah, it was. I saw it and it made me think of you, the way you always seem to know how to cheer me up when I need it. I guess I just wanted you to be happy."

Jumping up, JJ throws his arms around Drake in an exuberant hug. "Thank you, Drakey, that was so sweet of you, and I really do love it!"

"I'm sorry it wasn't from someone special or anything…"

"Don't be silly, Drake! Whatever makes you think you're not special? You're my best friend, and that makes you plenty special to me."

Drake smiles back. "You're my best friend too, JJ. Sometimes I wonder what I'd do without you; you're always there for me."

"That's how it's supposed to be. I couldn't have a better partner or friend, and I want you to be happy as well. You deserve to be. Who knows? By next Valentine's Day maybe you'll have found someone special to share it with."

"Maybe we both will."

JJ turns wistful and a little dreamy before shaking his head. "Dee's never going to love me back, is he?"

"No, JJ, I don't think he is. He's too hung up on Ryo. I'm sorry."

"What does Ryo have that I don't? No, don't answer that, I don't want to know, and it doesn't matter anyway. I guess I can't force him to love me. I've waited around for so long and all for nothing; maybe I should just give up on him and find someone else." JJ shakes himself. "Work's over, Drakey, why don't you let me buy you a coffee to say thank you?"

"You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I'm going for a coffee anyway and I'd appreciate your company; it's always nicer shared with a good friend."

"Well, when you put it that way… Lead on!"

When you don't have a 'someone special' to spend time with, a true friend is the next best thing, and Drake is certain that when it comes to friends, JJ is a gem without compare.

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The End


End file.
